HC Kevin Stefanski (8.20.20)
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski:
Opening statement:
“I know you guys got the news on (CB) Kevin Johnson from yesterday. He was admitted to the hospital. Obviously, we are thinking about Kevin. He is doing good, but never fun to see that or hear that, as was the case. We are all thinking about Kevin. You will see (DE) Myles (Garrett) out there today. The plan is to do individual with Myles and then hold him out of practice reps.”
On if the Browns know specific play when CB Kevin Johnson was injured:
“Yeah, it was in the red zone period on the touchdown to (TE) Harrison Bryant. Kevin was trying to make a play on Harrison. I think (defensive coordinator) Joe (Woods) and the defensive staff would have preferred that he held back instead out of an abundance of caution and not dive for it, but they kind of both dove and Harrison landed on top of him. Really unfortunate, unlucky. Hoping for him, that he will be back when he is ready. Really the most important thing right now is that he is safe, and we want him to get well very soon.”
On if Johnson’s injury is a reminder of how dangerous the game can be at any time:
“It can be. We are very fortunate to have an excellent medical staff here. They were on top of this, and I think that is really a testament to (Senior Vice President of Player Health & Development)
Joe (Sheehan) and his crew that they were very cautious when they heard what was going on.”
On if Johnson may potentially be placed on IR:
“Honestly, I would not even speculate at this point.”
On if he has talked to the team about the injuries throughout training camp so far:
“Like you said, injuries are part of the game. We have to do everything in our power to eliminate the ones that we can. That is just the truth. We have to get our work in and take care of each other.”
On if Johnson was injured on a ‘normal play’ or if something stood out about it:
“No, totally normal.”
On Johnson playing in the slot and who else can now play in that position:
“Yeah, the nice part of having an 80-man roster is we have a bunch of guys that we are going to try in there. Even prior to this, we have been working a lot of guys in there. I think you will see a pretty good rotation of guys in there.”
On reports the Browns brought in multiple Ks for tryouts and if that is an indication something is going on with K Austin Seibert, like a nagging injury:
“No, there is nothing going on with Austin. It is just due diligence. The roster sizes that they are these days, I think it is prudent on (Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager) Andrew (Berry) and the front office to have workouts of multiple positions. No, it is nothing in relation to Austin at all.”
On the adjustment of having to answer questions about injuries every day as a head coach:
“I will do my best to give you guys something.”
On what he knew about LB Sione Takitaki when coming to Cleveland and overall impressions of Takitaki during training camp:
“I did not know much about Taki at all. Then to get in the building and talk to people here and about what he is about, then to spend some time with him finally and see him out on the field, you just feel his energy. He runs to the ball every time. He is constantly chirping and communicating. He is somebody that you hear, almost before you see.”
On QB Baker Mayfield and TE Austin Hooper seeming to display strong chemistry and if he feels good about their potential:
“Yeah, I feel good about the potential of those guys. Austin went down there to Austin (Texas) for a couple of weeks, and they spent some time together. I think there is a comfort level, and we just have to make sure that continues to grow for all of those guys, really.”
On having three consecutive days of pads this week and if he expects to increase physicality in the next few days:
“There are a bunch of rules on what you can and can’t do in terms of how many days in pads. You can’t go four [consecutive] days in pads. Today, we will not be in full pads. We thought long and hard about this camp and how we wanted to acclimate these guys and safely do it. We will abide by the rules of the NFL, but we will also use all of the information at our disposal to make sure that we are having a very productive and safe camp.”
On Johnson’s training camp prior to his injury and if his role was expected to be at nickel back or if he had an opportunity to win a starting CB spot:
“We were excited about bringing Kevin in because he is a young man but he has some really good experience playing in a couple different systems. You are right, he was having a nice few days here, but like with every position, it is a long haul. I would tell you that we are going to miss him here and really hope that he gets back healthy when he is ready. Really excited about his future as a Cleveland Brown.”
On Dee and Jimmy Haslam expressing their desire to have a limited amount of fans at FirstEnergy Stadium this year and if he shares that same sentiment:
“I definitely want [fans] for our home games. Our game obviously, what we do in a lot of ways is for these fans. I have heard from many of them already around the community, and they want very badly to be in person and to support us. We obviously want them there, too, but we have to make sure whatever we do is safe. I know that they all are working very hard to look at a solution for that, but it doesn’t change the fact that our fans are important to us and we would love to have them out there.”
On CB Denzel Ward and WR Odell Beckham Jr. not ‘appearing to do a lot’ in team drills yesterday and if there is anything notable to that occurring:
“Nothing going on. That is just, I would say, a part of the plan.”
On if Ward and Beckham are expected to practice today:
“Yes.”
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